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December 13, 2017Hot Stove Notebook: Kipnis, Salazar Trade Rumors and LoMo Love
December 13, 2017Ever since their return to the NFL, there is one common joke among not only Cleveland fans but NFL fans in general and that is that when the Browns get rid of one of their players, said player will sign with the New England Patriots—and dominate. They signed Kellen Winslow Jr. They signed John Hughes. In recent years, it was Barkevious Mingo and Jabaal Sheard is who left the Browns and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots. Now, it may be wide receiver Kenny Britt.
On Tuesday, another Brown-to-Patriot signee was announced when Britt decided to go from one of the worst organizations in football to one of the best. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the 29-year-old has signed a two-year deal with the Patriots less than a week after he was released by the Browns.
The #Patriots are signing WR Kenny Britt to a 2-year deal that locks him in through 2018, source said. This was his top landing spot.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2017
After the Browns lost wide receiver Terrelle Pryor to the Washington Redskins, they decided to roll with Britt, who signed a four-year, $32.5 million deal, with $17 million guaranteed. Although they didn’t say it at the time, the veteran was to replace Pryor who led the team in receptions, targets, and receiving yards in 2016. Expectations for him were high in Cleveland. He didn’t come close to living up to a single one.
Having played in just nine of the team’s 13 games while in Cleveland, including four starts, Britt had 18 catches (37 targets) for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Much like Dwayne Bowe in 2015, it became obvious that the Browns overpaid for yet another veteran receiver who didn’t produce on the field. This seems to be exactly what New England was hoping for.
The #Patriots were into Britt in free agency, but he got too pricey. #Browns paid the big contract, NE gets him for cheap. https://t.co/SVhemnyxct
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2017
As one of the few veterans on the youngest team in the NFL prior to his release, Britt was expected to not only produce on the field, but be a leader and someone all the young players could look up to off of it. He did none of those. Whether it was dropping passes, not being a mentor, or missing curfew prior to the game against the Houston Texans, Britt did more negative things than positive things during his time in Cleveland.
The Browns have enough cap space to where signings such as Bowe and Britt shouldn’t affect them that much, but it’s the fact that two of their biggest signings on offense the last few years have been failures. So much guaranteed money thrown their way for essentially nothing.
New England needed a big-bodied, physical presence on the outside, and they got him at a cheap price while the Browns continue to pay Britt even though he’s not even on their team anymore. Seems as though that’s a common theme lately, doesn’t it?
Although the wide out struggled in Cleveland, many Browns fans seemed to see it coming when it was announced that he had signed with New England because, well, that’s such a Browns move. Britt needed to be released, but him becoming a Patriot almost seemed inevitable. I mean, Kenny Britt, Super Bowl MVP does have a nice ring to it, right?
16 Comments
Belichick over there like https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e540010f870c4adc5aff6d870fe726fa81cdd41c32bbe59f4fcbe272970fa9b4.jpg
Those players left for NE to “dominate”? Saying they won the SuperBowl as though they were integral? I know there’s this tendency for writers & the media to want to twist the knife for some reason, but come on. How many ProBowls for: Mingo, Sheard, Hughes, Winslow?
Sometimes, a player leaves a crappy team where he is underperforming only to do well elsewhere. That says something about that player’s lack of effort and transformative abilities. Other times, they’re just average role players who luckily collect a ring.
Here, one man’s junk is merely another man’s junk.
there is ZERO chance Britt will be the Super Bowl MVP … my guess is he’ll be lucky to see the field considering Hogan , Cooks , Amendola , Dorsett , Gronkowski , D.Allen & the RB’s will gobble-up targets before he does … and then Edelman & M.Mitchell will return from injury next year.
maybe they use him in the red zone due to his height & the other WR’s lack of height … i think he has more of a chance to be the Super Bowl goat after he drops the potential game-winning TD in the end zone.
And still, we pull out our hair and gnash our teeth that Britt was signed to replace Pryor. Pryor. He who also couldn’t play a full year because he’s just not a good WR. Although, maybe he’s the Second Coming of St. Lawrence of Vickers. Seems like it to us, anyway. CAN’T BELIEVE THEY LET HIM WALK.
Staying safe and fire-free out there?
Thanks for the thoughts! They’re still contained north of us (city of LA and greater LA area) and so we’re safe. Super fortunate as sadly a lot of people lost everything. For most of us, our only impact is that the air was smoky & bad and smelled like a campfire for the past couple of weeks. Very little complaint fortunately.
There was an air advisory last week to “stay indoors” and “avoid physical exertion.” So, us overworked lawyers will always be safe!
That NE picked him up has zero significance as to his worth here or anywhere else; the Patriots own sport’s most self-confident and winning culture. They love to sift through physically talented refuse, try to exploit some part of it for a temporary use and discard it when they’re done.
there is one common joke
Yeah not quite with the joke. Seems apparent that it’s not “funny haha.” More like the common gallows humor (or schadenfreude fodder, depending on who is the writer).
Oh well, the pile on comes with the territory when we have a bad team and then we jettison folks (or “let ’em walk!”). We have to take our lumps, fair and unfair ones.
What would Sashi do? I mean, other than not admit a mistake and hold on to him out of spite for his head coach… SASHI WOULD NEVER DO THAT!!! Browns should have swapped their 2021 7th rounder for NE”s 2023 5th rounder.
Stoopid Dorsey.
My brother got evacuated. The Thomas Fire was stopped in the city about 5 blocks from his house, thankfully. It’s still pretty out of control, just fortunately moving away from civilization.
…try to exploit some part of it for a temporary use and [trade to a bottom feeder team for a fourth or fifth round pick] when they’re done
Fixed it.
The signing of Britt shows you how depleted the NE wr’s are.
thank you
StoopiDorsey.
Fixed.